Tuesday 10 February 2009

That's not progress

I am finding it a bit hard to keep up the blog. Busy at work - and I have had far less time on the bike than I would have liked over January and early Feb.

I did manage a great ride the other week with Hayden and Kelly at Swinley - where I managed to find most of what I had been shown on the guided ride. The spot I could not find was called the cork screw. Never mind - I think I can find it if I go straight there the next time. So that will be the order of things the next time we head to the lookout.

We did ride Alpine - and I got a flat - the first of the year. My fingers froze whilst putting in a new inner tube and I needed Hayden's monster thumbs to get the 2.35 High roller back on the rim.

We did also stop to session some steep cut drops in a bit of the forest we normally ride straight past. Hayden got his flow on and Kelly dropped a few and swooped a few new obstacles. So all in we felt good. A sign of technical progress is that Kelly has mooted the idea of getting a burlier bike. Double good idea if we go to the alps for some testing........

The snow last week was a massive diversion - and I only went out with the Cross-country ski poles on the Monday night. I trekked through Bushy - well off the paths and into where the snow had fallen and was undisturbed (up to a foot deep). Very quiet. Very nice. It reminded me of Sweden.

Back to the weekend just gone - Sunday was a blow out. Kelly runs Avid J3's - and the rear pad had disintegrated (that will be the origin of last week's squeaky noises). We could not find a place that was either open or sold Avid parts - so the ride was eventually kicked into touch.

Never mind - my new Fenix halogen torches have showed up.

They are so bright that night riding is back on the menu. I need now to cobble a fixing mount together. Non standard as bike lights go - but in the garden one torch lights up the flats 30meters away in full beam. I purchased two to use in series, so I am not coming off again at speed on the rooty bit at the back of Wimbledon Common.

I just need to make sure that the lights are not so bright that they blind the joggers - this happened with the BLT halogen set that I boosted with an extra 10w bulb in the second lamp. Everyone has a right to enjoy the quiet of the night - and unhappy joggers and runners fall into that space as well.

The other thing that is of note is that the BLT set have a massive lead acid battery that requires a frame mounted pouch - whilst the P7s require two NIMH AA batteries per light and they are brighter with LEDs compared to the BLTS halogens.

I appreciate that. Very geeky - but I do. It's progress.

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